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<Attaining Enlightenment[br]Through Meditation>

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(Questioner) Hi, Sunim. Thank you [br]for giving me a chance to ask a question.

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I have a question about meditation[br]and the study of the Buddhist scriptures.

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I learned that the Buddha attained[br]a peaceful mind and profound enlightenment

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through meditation.

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I am trying to practice meditation[br]for the same purpose.

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But, as a beginner[br]who hasn't gone through the path,

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I have doubts about how I can reach[br]such a deep state of enlightenment

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simply by not thinking.

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Could you explain how meditation leads[br]to peace of mind and enlightenment?

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(Sunim) Most of our suffering arises[br]primarily from our thoughts.

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So, we must free ourselves[br]from our preconceived notions of

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ethics, morality, religious beliefs, and[br]other paradigms that shape our thoughts.

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For example, consider a man and a woman[br]who like each other and become lovers.

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In a typical relationship[br]between two ordinary individuals,

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they can simply like each other.

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However, if they are Buddhist or Catholic[br]clergy, they have been taught

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not to engage in romantic[br]or sexual relationships.

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So, those who have undergone[br]such training,

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while experiencing joy[br]in their romantic relationship,

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also struggle with guilt.

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That guilt, the negative feeling they get,[br]does not stem from the relationship itself

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but rather from their belief[br]that they should not be engaging in it.

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Much of the suffering and issues[br]we experience today occurs

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due to the clash between reality,[br]what we truly experience,

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and our preconceived notions[br]of how things should be.

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This suffering disappears when we resolve[br]the contradiction in one of two ways:

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either by letting go of our preconceptions[br]and accepting reality as it is

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or by adhering to our preconceptions[br]and giving up what we desire in reality.

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However, we can never truly resolve[br]this problem

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if we attempt to hold onto[br]our preconceptions,

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while simultaneously trying to attain[br]what we desire in reality,

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because that contradiction[br]will inevitably persist.

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Let's take another example.

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If there are traditional ethics[br]or morals dictating that

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men and women of certain ages should not[br]see each other as romantic partners,

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then engaging in such relationships[br]leads to suffering.

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Similarly, if we're taught that[br]divorce is unacceptable after marriage,

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yet circumstances call for[br]separation or divorce,

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this contradiction results in suffering.

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In the natural course of life, people may[br]come together and go their separate ways.

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Coming together is not[br]the cause of suffering,

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nor is separation or divorce.

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Rather, it is our preconceived notions of[br]"what ought to be" that create suffering,

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whether it's meeting for the first time[br]of a relationship or separating.

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If we can let go of the idea[br]of "what ought to be,"

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we can eliminate much of the suffering[br]that arises from internal conflicts.

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For example, when we teach our daughters[br]that having sex before marriage is a sin,

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if they are later forced[br]into premarital sex,

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it causes them[br]significant internal suffering.

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But we do not emphasize this as much[br]when teaching our sons,

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so if they have premarital sex,[br]they may not feel the same level of guilt.

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This is entirely due to the preconceptions[br]we instill in our children.

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If you were to stop thinking right now,[br]there would be no suffering.

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This is why the foundation of meditation[br]is to stop thinking.

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What position you take, how you breathe,[br]none of that truly matters.

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Many of you say you meditate,[br]but, in reality, you are thinking quietly.

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That is thinking,[br]not meditating.

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Thinking positive thoughts does not mean[br]you are meditating properly.

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Meditation is the state[br]where thoughts have stopped.

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And if you stop thinking,[br]most of your suffering goes away.

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However, once you try it, you will realize[br]that your thoughts do not cease.

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(Audience Laughter)

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In fact, they may become amplified[br]twofold, threefold, or even tenfold.

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So, while your body remains still[br]during meditation,

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your mind is constantly[br]engaged in thinking.

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Then, how can we stop thinking?[br]If you set an intention to stop thinking,

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that intention itself[br]becomes another thought.

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That is why the old masters[br]taught us this analogy:

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Imagine there's dust[br]flying all over the room.

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The dust is barely visible to us.

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But if there's a ray of sunlight[br]coming through the room,

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we suddenly become aware of[br]how much dust is floating in the air.

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We take a cloth or a duster[br]and start cleaning to remove the dust.

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Yet, instead of eliminating the dust,[br]we stir it up even more.

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Then, what should we do?[br]We simply let it settle on its own.

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As time passes,[br]most of the dust will settle.

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This analogy shows that we live constantly[br]filled with thoughts and distractions,

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but we are unaware of that

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because we lack that single ray of light[br]to illuminate them.

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Thus, when you sit down to meditate and[br]start noticing how cluttered your mind is,

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this is not a failure in meditation.

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It's actually a process[br]of meditating properly.

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It's just like seeing that single ray[br]of sunlight revealing the dust in a room.

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It is the first realization that you are[br]surrounded by endless distracting thoughts.

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Then, you may start approaching meditation[br]with a performance-oriented mindset,

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striving to meditate better and faster.

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This, in turn, creates more distractions[br]just as letting dust fly even more.

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You have to just let it be.

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But it's very hard to simply let it be[br]because thoughts keep arising.

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That's why the strategy is[br]to focus your thoughts on one thing.

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The easiest thing to focus your thoughts[br]on is your breath.

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It's a strategy of focusing on the[br]inhalation and exhalation of your breath.

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In Pali, it is called Ānāpānasati.

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Another strategy that emerged during[br]the Zen Buddhist tradition is a Koan,

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which is focusing on a single thought,

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a single question[br]like "Who am I?"

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Just focus[br]on that single question.

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Other thoughts will constantly arise.

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Just let them be.

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The only thing you should truly focus on[br]is that single question.

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For example, imagine you are reading[br]a book in the middle of a forest.

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You hear birds tweeting.

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You hear the sound of a stream.

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And you hear cars passing[br]on a distant road.

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Because of these distractions,[br]you find it difficult to focus.

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If the cars stopped running,

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if the birds stopped tweeting,

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and if the stream stopped running,

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then you would be able to focus[br]in that quiet forest, right?

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But you can't stop those things.

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Even if you could eliminate[br]those external distractions,

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it wouldn’t necessarily mean[br]that you could focus.

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But if you truly immerse yourself[br]in the book,

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the birds may tweet,[br]but you won’t notice them.

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Cars may pass on the road nearby,[br]but you won’t pay attention to them,

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nor will you notice the stream beside you

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because you are deeply focused and[br]fully absorbed in what you are reading.

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While meditation is[br]about the absence of thoughts,

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from a strategic perspective, it is[br]about concentrating on a single thought.

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Let's say you focus[br]on breathing in and out.

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When the breath comes in,[br]you notice the breath entering.

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You are not thinking[br]about the breath coming in.

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This is a kind of sensory experience,[br]the flow of air as it moves

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over your skin, through your nostrils,[br]and into your lungs.

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And you also feel the tactile sensation[br]of the breath leaving your nose.

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This is experiencing,[br]not thinking.

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You are simply experiencing the breath.

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You might think of your mother[br]at some point.

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Once you become distracted[br]by the thought of your mother,

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you start thinking, "Oh, what about[br]the time we went on a picnic together?

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What about the time we had an argument?"

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You unconsciously create[br]narratives around the thought.

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This becomes a distraction.

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You can't stop the thought of [br]your mother from rising.

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But whatever thoughts come to you,[br]you keep focusing on your breath.

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Basically, do not pay attention[br]to the thought or give it energy.

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Then, the thought naturally dissipates.

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But soon, other thoughts will arise.

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You might suddenly think about coffee.

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Nevertheless, you stay focused[br]on your breath.

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Then, the thought of coffee[br]also dissipates.

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No matter how many thoughts arise,[br]if you do not pay attention to them,

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they will simply come and go[br]again and again.

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But once you engage[br]with a thought of coffee,

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you start following it[br]and creating a story:

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"What kind of coffee do I want?[br]With whom do I want to drink this coffee?"

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At that moment, you have already lost[br]your focus on the breath

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because you can only focus[br]on one thing at a time.

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If you focus here,[br]you lose focus there.

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And if you pay attention there,[br]you lose attention here.

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Thoughts are just that.

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As long as you don't pay attention[br]to them, they will simply rise and fall.

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So, when we say we are distracted,[br]the random thoughts themselves

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are not distractions.

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They become distractions when[br]we start creating stories around them.

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If you keep practicing, the amount of time[br]you can sustain focus on your breath

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before getting distracted can increase,

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first to 1 minute, then to 5, then to 10.[br]It will gradually increase.

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Your attention span for focusing[br]on your breath will continue to grow,

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and you will experience[br]fewer distractions.

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Then, you start gaining autonomy.

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You will no longer be bound[br]by past memories or future expectations.

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The reason you feel anger, frustration,[br]hatred, or resentment is that

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past memories resurface, bringing back[br]the wounds you once experienced.

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You become fearful, anxious, and nervous[br]because you are thinking about the future.

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If you are no longer held captive[br]by thoughts of the future,

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your anxiety and nervousness[br]will naturally fade away.

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That is why we teach to awaken[br]in the here and now

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without being captured by past memories[br]or the future that has not yet arrived.

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Even if thoughts about the Buddha[br]arise unbidden during meditation,

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they are still distractions.

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Maintain singular focus on your breath,[br]and everything else is a distraction.

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If you are meditating on a Zen Koan,

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anything beyond exploring the question,[br]"Who am I?" is a distraction.

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In that state, even what you read[br]in scriptures, sutras,

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or even the Buddha's own teachings[br]become distractions.

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That is why there is a teaching:[br]"If you see the Buddha, kill the Buddha.

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If you encounter your teacher,[br]kill the teacher."

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Of course, this does not mean to literally[br]kill them. (Sunim Laughter)

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Rather, it means[br]not to give them any attention.

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They are simply distractions.

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Sorry for the lengthy response.[br](Sunim Laughter)

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(Questioner) Thank you.[br](Audience Applause)